Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Foreign Relations

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of measures to improve relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have continued to make progress on our relationship with Iran since we reopened our Embassies in August 2015, including through reciprocal ministerial visits and the reopening of our visa services.

Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures they have in place to identify the occurrence of genocide for the purposes of fulfilling their obligations as a contracting party under Article VIII of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide 1948; and whether there is a protocol in place to guide those procedures.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 1948 which requires that we prevent and punish the crime of genocide in our jurisdiction. As a State Party to the International Criminal Court Statute (ICC), the UK has made it a domestic crime to commit any of the crimes in the ICC Statute, including genocide. Where such crimes take place in the UK, or are committed by UK nationals, they can be prosecuted before the UK courts. Responsibility for investigation and prosecution in the UK lies with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Police.Our seat on the UN Security Council means that the UK is able to swiftly engage where a threat of atrocity crimes emerges. The form of that engagement depends on the particulars of any individual situation. Where prevention has failed, it is the international community's responsibility to take collective action, through diplomatic, humanitarian and other means. Where timely and decisive action to end, or prevent, the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes is necessary, the UK is active in calling for UN action. However, the Government believes that formal recognition that genocide has been committed is ultimately a matter for the courts, not political bodies.

United Nations: Staff

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new developments and initiatives they are currently undertaking as part of their support for British candidates for senior positions in the UN and for the deployment of UK civilian staff with relevant expertise to key roles in the UN, both in its operations and at the UN Headquarters.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is in UK interests, and it is a Government priority, to encourage and support British candidates for senior positions in the UN and to promote the deployment of UK civilian staff with relevant expertise to key roles in the UN, both in its operations and at the UN Headquarters.To this end the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has strengthened and restructured its team of officials working in this area. In collaboration with other government departments it is;(i)Targeting a broader range of UN agencies.(ii)Expanding the talent pool of potential UK candidates for top jobs and in parallel further developing pipelines for UK nationals coming through the ranks.(iii)Encouraging British nationals interested in international jobs to register on a specifically developed International Opportunities Database.(iv)Providing targeted support to candidates applying for positions of strategic importance to the Government.(v)Ensuring that these opportunities are communicated as widely as possible to attract candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek assurances from the government of Iran that Nazanin Ratcliffe will be granted access to a lawyer and due process rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly lobby the Iranian government on all of our consular cases; requesting consular access for our officials, and to ensure that they have access to lawyers and are receiving appropriate medical care. Most recently the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the issue with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 May, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised the subject with the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in London on 18 May. The Iranian government do not recognise dual nationals of any country, therefore we cannot gain direct access to dual nationals held in custody.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the specific criteria for selecting and deselecting target countries for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government has pursued or supported Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative activity in a wide range of countries over the last four years, including Burma, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Mali, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Syria. The criteria used for selecting and deselecting these target countries take into account a number of factors. These include the extent and impact of sexual violence in the country under consideration, the national and international response to date and the particular role the UK can play in reinforcing or complementing existing efforts.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the wounding with live fire of fishermen who were working within three nautical miles of Gaza, and the subsequent arrest of fishermen and confiscation of boats on 31 May.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Whilst we have not raised this specific issue with the Government of Israel, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have expressed our concern previously over the Israel Defence Forces' use of live fire against fishermen and also about the confiscation of their boats.

Israel: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategy they have to prevent the annexation of the West Bank by Israel.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK’s longstanding position is clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a fair and agreed settlement for refugees. We regularly urge Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords. We also call on all parties to abide by International Humanitarian Law and to promote peace, stability and security.

UN Secretariat: Public Appointments

Baroness Suttie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that the Eastern Europe region remains the only region in the UN system yet to produce a Secretary-General, and the fact that seven of the declared candidates for the position are from Eastern Europe, whether, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/286 of 9 October 2006 on Revitalisation of the work of the General Assembly, they are fully committed to giving "due regard to regional rotation" in the selection of the UN Secretary-General.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have actively campaigned to reform the selection process for a UN Secretary-General. We want greater transparency, a structured process and a gender diverse field. These efforts are designed to ensure we get the best person for the job. We do not subscribe to the notion of regional rotation, but are looking for a candidate with integrity, a proven track record, first class communication skills, suitable and relevant experience and unimpeachable character. They should be committed to transparency and accountability, have strong leadership skills, a bold vision for an activist UN at the heart of the rules-based system, and be committed to cost-effective management and reform.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Overseas Trade

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which trade agreements would have to be individually negotiated in the event of a vote to leave the EU in the forthcoming referendum, broken down by region.

Lord Price: As set out in the Government’s documents to inform the debate ahead of the referendum, were the UK to leave the EU, as well as losing the UK’s guaranteed access to the Single Market, the UK would also lose the use of the EU’s free trade agreements with over 50 economies worldwide. These countries are listed on page 45 of the Government’s “Alternatives to membership: possible models for the United Kingdom outside the European Union”. This page also provides a map highlighting trade agreements in place, those under negotiation, and those currently being planned for.



'Alternatives to membership' publication
(PDF Document, 2.37 MB)

Ministry of Defence

Army: Recruitment

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the regular army annual recruitment target for each year from 2015–16 to 2020–21.

Earl Howe: The Army's annual recruitment targets for regulars for each year from 2015 to 2021 are as follows: Type2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21Officers738740733723720719Other Ranks9,56110,42710,37010,31610,24110,242Total10,29911,16711,10311,03910,96110,961 *These figures do not include the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

Armed Forces: Young People

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of recruits enlisting under the age of 18 in the past five years had at least one parent who was serving or had served in the armed forces.

Earl Howe: The information is not held in the format requested. Questions regarding details of parental and family links with the Armed Forces are not a mandatory part of the recruiting process and this information is not captured or collated centrally by each Service.

Home Office

Asylum: Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Eritrean nationals appealed against an initial asylum refusal in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of Eritreans who challenged an initial asylum refusal won their appeal in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of all asylum appeals were made by Eritrean nationals or refugees in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Eritrean nationals were required to pay fees for their asylum appeals in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, and (3) 2015.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of all the appeals made against initial asylum refusals by Eritrean nationals, how many were made (1) within the UK, and (2) from outside the UK, in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, and (c) 2015.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In answer to Questions HL329 and HL331, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8090.In answer to Question HL330, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 04/05/2016 for Question HL8089.In answer to Question HL332 and HL333, I refer the noble Lady to my answer on 11/05/2016 for Questions HL8091 and HL9092.

Refugees: LGBT People

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many LGBTIQ people applied for refugee status in the UK on the basis of homophobic, biphobic or transphobic laws in their home countries in the last five years, and what was the percentage success rate of those applications.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Further to the response provided to Lord Scriven on 25 March 2015, (HL5725) the process of quality assuring the data held on the Home Office's Case Information Database, relating to sexuality based asylum claims is currently being undertaken by Home Office officials.As such, the Home Office has not yet reached a point where it can provide an accurate picture of the number of asylum claims based on sexuality and no statistical data on this subject has hitherto been published.Information where the detail of the asylum claim basis relates to gender identity issues is not routinely recorded on Home Office databases in a way that can be easily aggregated. No published data exists relating to gender identity based asylum claims.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Storage

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the development of energy storage.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: DECC published a document ‘Towards a smart energy system’ in December 2015, and we are investigating the potential barriers to deployment of energy storage and possible mitigating actions, focussing in the first instance on removing policy and regulatory barriers. DECC plans to issue a call for evidence on a smart systems routemap in the near future. Since 2012, public sector support (including Ofgem innovation funding) for storage has topped £80m.

Energy: Storage

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that the consumer energy storage market is properly regulated so that consumers are not miss-sold inappropriate systems, and to protect responsible manufacturers in the sector.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: DECC has provided funding for the development of a Good Practice Guide on Electrical Energy Storage, which was published in December 2014. DECC officials are also involved in ongoing discussions led by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and by the British Standards Institution (BSI) on technical guidance and standards for electrical energy storage systems. Independent, professional bodies, such as the IET and BSI, are well-placed to lead development of relevant technical guidelines or standards. The BRE Trust, a charity dedicated to research and education in the built environment, has published this year the “BRE Solar Storage Consumer Guide” which provides guidance for domestic and small commercial consumers considering a battery system to work alongside an existing or new solar PV system. DECC aims to level the playing field for the storage market, removing policy and regulatory barriers in the first instance. We will be publishing a call for evidence on a smart systems routemap, including storage, in the near future.

Electricity Generation

Lord Dixon-Smith: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much energy is released into the atmosphere in the form of waste heat by the UK's electricity generating industry annually.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Analysis from the Association of Decentralised Energy estimates that just under 10% of UK power stations capture their heat currently. The UK has a number of policies in place to promote the use of heat produced as a by-product from the UK’s electricity generation industry. These include incentives for good quality combined heat and power (CHP), as well as the £320m Heat Networks Investment Project which will encourage capital investment in hundreds of heat networks, which can use not only heat from power stations but also others sources of waste heat such as industrial processes.

Department of Health

Medicine: Research

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 12 October 2015 (HL1940), what assessment they have made of the reasons why systematic scientific reviews, such as Cochrane reviews, adopt "specific and relatively narrow criteria".

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 12 October 2015 (HL1940), what plans they have to commission or financially to support further studies that might meet the "specific and relatively narrow criteria" of the 2015 Cochrane review Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries, in the light of the point made in that review’s abstract that "the applicability of the results to current lifestyles is unclear because the majority of the studies were conducted before fluoride toothpastes and the other preventative measures were widely used".

Lord Prior of Brampton: The 2015 Cochrane review Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries was an update of a Cochrane review first completed in 2000. A panel of experts agreed the search criteria in the original review, and the update kept these largely unchanged. The National Institute for Health Research is currently funding an evaluation of a water fluoridation scheme in Cumbria. This started in 2013 and the final report is expected to be published in 2021. Findings from the evaluation will be available for consideration in any subsequent systematic reviews relating to water fluoridation.

Hypophosphatasia: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the draft recommendation from NICE not to recommend the drug Strensiq for the treatment of hypophosphatasia for critically ill infants who are otherwise likely to die, what other treatment options are available.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating Strensiq (asfotase alfa) for the treatment of paediatric-onset hypophosphatasia under its highly specialised technologies programme. NICE’s draft guidance, published in December 2015 for consultation, did not recommended asfotase alfa. However this is not NICE’s final guidance to the National Health Service. NICE’s draft guidance states that there are currently no other treatments available that specifically prevent or delay the progression of hypophosphatasia.

Midwives

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the midwifery workforce to train that workforce to counsel and to insert intrauterine contraceptive devices immediately post-partum.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The insertion of contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) during the post-partum period of between ten minutes and 48 hours following childbirth is not supported by the Royal College of Midwives. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines do not recommend the insertion of post-partum IUDs before four weeks following childbirth. This Government supports the current practice of providing contraceptive information and advice in the antenatal period to support an informed decision by women. When the chosen contraceptive is an IUD, this is normally offered at the six weeks postnatal check-up by a doctor, if the woman has fully recovered from childbirth. In light of this, the Government has no plans to increase and train the midwifery workforce to undertake the insertion of post-partum IUDs.

Atrial Fibrillation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the National Institute for Health Research expects project HTA-14/141/01 on screening strategies for atrial fibrillation to be published.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The final report from this project is expected to be published in spring 2017 at the earliest.

Atrial Fibrillation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will introduce an indicator on the use of manual pulse checks to screen for atrial fibrillation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The decision on which indicators should be included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is decided through annual negotiations. In England, NHS Employers on behalf of NHS England, and the General Practitioners’ Committee on behalf of the British Medical Association, decide which indicators are included within the QOF. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for producing a menu of indicators suitable for inclusion in the QOF. NICE has advised that, in February 2016, it consulted on potential new indicators for the NICE indicators menu, including two new indicators on the use of manual pulse checks for atrial fibrillation. The NICE indicators advisory committee will review feedback to the consultation at its next meeting on 13 June 2016 and the outcome of this review will determine future work in this area.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what payments were made, in sterling, (1) in the most recent year by the UK to each European Union member state for healthcare provided to UK citizens and pensioners resident in each of those states, and (2) by each member state to the UK for EU citizens and pensioners resident in the UK; and what were the respective totals.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department on behalf of the United Kingdom Government reimburses other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under European Union law, irrespective of nationality. In the same way, other EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the UK for the cost of the National Health Service providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. The table below provides latest available information about how much the UK paid to other EEA countries and Switzerland for healthcare, and how much was paid to the UK for NHS provided treatments.EEA Medical CostsMember State Claims (against UK)UK Claims (against EEA, Switzerland) 2014-152014-15   Austria£5,473,017£366,756  Belgium£5,816,026£4,323,308  Bulgaria£255,924£363,911  Cyprus£10,132,385£347,045  Czech Republic£617,758£471,140  Denmark (Waiver)N/AN/A  Estonia (Waiver)N/A£154,928  Finland (Waiver)£10,047£243,740  France£147,685,772£6,730,292  Germany£25,873,954£2,189,664  Greece£2,682,953£1,732,047  Hungary (Waiver)£412£22,196  Iceland£295,943£11,331  Ireland£215,313,962£19,214,031  Italy£7,304,484£1,510,850  Latvia£14,725£300,319  Liechtenstein£193£0  Lithuania£283,625£293,616  Luxembourg£683,410£75,151  Malta (Waiver)N/AN/A  Netherlands£8,655,688£3,251,412  Norway (Waiver)£30,370£0  Poland£4,336,701£1,523,402  Portugal£6,351,400£700,653  Romania£13,330£498,354  Slovakia£438,715£124,348  Slovenia£266,623£107,948  Spain£223,290,021£3,412,338  Sweden£1,918,038£1,367,213  Switzerland£6,672,560£400,131   Total£674,418,036£49,736,125   Source: Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) exercise. Totals are based on estimates of the costs of EEA healthcare claims made annually for the purposes of provisions made in the Department of Health accounts in accordance with HM Treasury resource accounting rules.Note: Waiver is an agreed intentional relinquishment of healthcare costs between Member StatesDenmark – Full waiverEstonia and Norway – Waiver, excepting former Article 22.1c (patient referral) and Article 55.1c (industrial injury) claimsFinland, Hungary and Malta – Waiver, excepting former Article 22.1c (patient referral) claims